London: When British Prime Minister Boris Johnson came out of intensive care and spoke to the nation on Sunday, he thanked all NHS staff, but in particular two nurses that stood beside his hospital bed for some critical 48 hours Jenny from New Zealand and Luis from Portugal.
Johnson was in intensive care for several days after being hospitalised following a positive test for the new coronavirus.
Luis' father, also named Luis Pitarma, is originally from Aveiro, a city near Porto.
After applying for many jobs and having no luck in his native country, his son left in 2014 to travel to the United Kingdom and has been an intensive care nurse at Saint Thomas Hospital in London since 2016.
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His family is proud of what he has achieved so far, although they worry about him being on the frontlines of the fight against the new virus.
The words of recognition that came from the British Prime Minister, as well as the special phone call by Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, have brought a renewed sense of motivation to Luis' continued work on the frontline of the fight against the virus.
Luis' father also believes this was a message of encouragement not only for his son but for all health workers in both the United Kingdom and in Portugal.
Portugal has so far confirmed more than 500 deaths from the new virus and more than 17,000 people infected.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.
For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
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(With inputs from AP)
